As part of an initiative to transform Route 7 throughout Northern Virginia to improve safety and mobility and promote economic development, VDOT is constructing improvements along a 7-mile segment between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive, including a portion of Route 7 in Tysons Corner. Key features of this design-build project include the following components:
- Widening the road from 4 to 6 lanes
- Continuous shared-use paths for pedestrians and bicyclists in both directions
- Replacing the bridge over Difficult Run to raise it above flood level
- A pedestrian underpass at Colvin Run Mill Park
- Improvements at 5 major intersections including the construction of an innovative displaced left turn intersection
Construction Management:
As VDOT’s agent, CES provided construction management services involving owner independent assurance inspections, testing, and documentation to validate the design-builder’s compliance with the QA/QC plan and determine the acceptance of materials and workmanship incorporated into the project. Our Construction Manager and inspectors work with the contractor and QA and QC teams to resolve field issues and address the concerns of homeowners and stakeholders.
Prior to construction, CES authored the financial plan and subsequent annual updates, which identify the funding sources and how they will be managed. We reviewed the baseline schedule and monthly updates to the complex schedule that includes more than 1,250 activities. We identified trends, risks, and forecasts for key milestones; analyzed schedule impacts; and conducted forensic schedule impact analysis.
Utility Management:
Utility services included a constructability review of the utility plans and development of a plan allowing for concurrent utility relocations and roadway construction, which reduced the construction schedule by 15 months. We coordinated with Verizon to reduce their relocations by 95%, from 1.5 miles of cables to only 400 feet. The relocation of utilities owned by 19 companies has the potential for causing significant schedule impacts. We use a partnering approach to coordinate with each utility owner to ensure the timing of each utility’s relocations coincides with the project schedule and availability of right-of-way.
